CLEVELAND (AP) — The latest from Game 4 of the NBA Finals:
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8:34 p.m.
WWE in the house!
With the Warriors on the ropes, WWE stars The Miz and Dolph Ziggler were hanging out courtside before Game 4, taking pictures with fans before posing for more at halfcourt and filming promo spots in the hallways for wrestling federation’s live TV show, Raw.
Both are from the Cleveland area.
The Miz, who was wearing a No. 40 wine Cleveland jersey that read “Must-See” on the back, was born in nearby suburb Parma and attended Normandy High School; Ziggler attended St. Edward High School in Lakewood and wrestled collegiately at Kent State University.
Wrestling veteran Ric Flair was roaming the hallways as well, taking pictures with Kevin Love.
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8:15 p.m.
Respect.
LeBron James has it, and he knows Jim Brown has earned it.
Brown led the Browns to the 1964 NFL title — the last championship for one of the city’s three major sports franchises — and he was in the stands for Game 3.
James noticed the Hall of Fame running back sitting a few feet away in the front row.
The King put his hands together and bowed toward Brown, NFL royalty.
“It was definitely impromptu,” James said of the salute at Thursday’s morning shootaround. “I was ready to get the game going and locked in and sharp, and I looked over to the sideline and saw him sitting there and gave him the respect and the salute that he deserves.”
From his seat, the 79-year-old Brown made a similar gesture at James, who wanted to acknowledge arguably the greatest player in NFL history.
“What he means to this city, what he means to this community and what he means to sports and to myself is unprecedented so it was great to see him there,” James said.
Brown is not expected to be at Game 4.
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8:03 p.m.
J.R. Smith made quite the entrance into Quicken Loans Arena.
Just as Warriors coach Steve Kerr was finishing an interview outside Golden State’s locker room, Smith zoomed by riding a Hovertrax, a hands-free motorized vehicle.
“Hey, what’s up?” Smith said as he rolled by on the carpet.
Smith nearly became the Cavs’ most recent injury when he briefly lost his balance and lunged forward, catching himself before he fell.
He got right back on, though, and continued his journey to Cleveland’s locker room.
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7:55 p.m.
One of the most recognizable faces on the court tonight to many NBA fans won’t be wearing a Warriors or Cavaliers uniform.
It will Joey Crawford, officiating his 50th NBA Finals game — most among active referees.
The officiating has drawn plenty of attention in the finals, though the league has ruled most of the disputed calls correctly. That includes a play late in Game 3 where LeBron James forced Stephen Curry into a turnover on a play that looked like a slide tackle in soccer.
The NBA ruled it a correct no-call, saying “the contact made after the strip is incidental to the players’ attempt to retrieve the ball.”
Steve Kerr gave a sarcastic response when asked for his take at Thursday’s morning shootaround.
“It was the correct call. Slide tackling is perfectly legal,” he said. “I totally agree, I think it was absolutely the correct call. We’re going to teach it. We’re going to teach traveling, too, before next year, because traveling is also.”
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.
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